Slip, slop, slap, seek and slide at the JetBlack 24 Hour!

As mountain bikers we spend our time riding outdoors and even though we don’t mind a good mud puddle, most of the time we ride in the sun and heat. With our JetBlack 24 Hour at James Estate Winery set in the summer racing season, we are teaming up with the Hunter Division of the Cancer Council NSW to provide educational tools and goodies in the lead-up to and at the race.

In your training for the race and at the event, remember to:

SLIP on clothing to protect you against the sun

SLOP on SPF 30 or higher sunscreen

SLAP on a hat

SEEK shade

SLIDE on sunglasses.

Don’t forget: it can take as little as 11 minutes to start burning even if the sky is cloudy. At the JetBlack 24 Hour, the team from Cancer Council NSW/Hunter Division will provide additional tents for shade and sunscreen will be available complimentary from their tent.

There will also be several activities including a RAFFLE to raise funds to go towards skin cancer research and the three major prizes are amazeballs:

Some more information on the initiatives by the Cancer Council NSW are below.

So join us in being sun smart and SLIP, SLOP, SLAP, SEEK and SLIDE!

Skin cancer general information

Statistics

There is a 1 in 19 chance of being diagnosed with melanoma by the age of 85, and a 1 in 137 chance of dying from it.

Melanoma is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia in both men and women.

The incidence of melanoma in males has more than doubled since 1982.

In 2008, Australia had the world’s highest incidence rate of melanoma of skin (37 cases per 100,000 people), more than 13 times higher than the average world rate (3 cases per 100,000 people).

General challenges in the specific cancer

Melanoma takes a disproportionate toll on young and middle aged people living in NSW. It is the most common cancer in those aged 15-54 years.

There is currently no curative treatment for melanoma once it has spread beyond the skin.

Treatment of non-melanoma skin cancer in Australia currently costs upwards of $300 million per year.

Amount of annual research funding

Cancer Council NSW has awarded over $2.1m for research into skin cancer over the last five years. This can be compared to the current CCNSW research portfolio of $38 million, which includes all the currently committed funds for the next five years.

Cancer Council NSW has funded seven Project grants in skin cancer since 2006.